The Person Behind The Posts

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Food Shopping in Israel - new! with pictures




Whenever I have questions about how to translate it, where to buy it or how to prepare it, I find the people in my circle of olim incredibly helpful. 

When I asked fellow olim to share their tips for food shopping in Israel, I was overwhelmed with hundreds of Facebook messages and emails. I went to work, culling the duplications, deleting the personal opinions (unless they were mine) and dividing the responses into information about specific food items and miscellaneous tips about food shopping in general.

This took many, many hours more than I intended, but there's some really quality (and money-saving) information here.There is nothing about this post that pretends to be scientific or comprehensive. It's information that a very giving group of olim thought to share. I did my best to organize it. In some cases, Hebrew names are transliterated and in some case they are spelled in Hebrew letters. It depends on how I received the information.

My deep thanks to the members of the anglo olim community who responded so generously.

And now, here are some things we have learned along the way that might make things easier for you, whether you've yet to make aliyah or have already been living here for some time. Naturally, I take full responsibility for any errors.

SPECIFIC FOOD ITEMS

Apple sauce: Canned resek tapuchim is not actually apple sauce.  It has pits and skin. It can be used 
for baking.

Baking powder: Avkat afiya (אבקת אפיה) is baking powder, but it often says it in English as well.
Some advise importing baking powder.
Sold in little packets, usually 10 per cellophane wrapper. One packet is about one scant Tbs.

Baking soda: Soda leshtiya (drinking soda) is baking soda.  It comes in little blue boxes next to the vanilla sugar. You can also find baking soda in decent-sized plastic containers (clear plastic, like the spice jars). It is sometimes labeled as Sodium Bicarbonate in English.

Bananas: It took me awhile to get used to Israeli bananas. They are slightly different. Although bananas are generally available year round, summer bananas often go from green to overripe without an edible stage in between. Winter bananas are much better. Also, Israeli bananas may look more brown and bruised than you're used to on the outside and still be perfect inside.

Bread:
·        There is great bread in Israel, but it's not always possible to find an exact duplicate for what you are used to.
·        There are a couple of brands of packaged, lower calorie breads that are widely available.
·        There is no such thing as white bread in Israel. The closest is called לחם אחיד,  a government subsidized light rye.
·        There is also a government subsidized challah. It's very plain and very inexpensive.
·        Real Jewish rye bread is almost impossible to find unless you go to a special boutique like bakery such as Teller in Machane Yehudah (the shuk) in Jerusalem.

Bread crumbs: Come in cellophane bags, not cardboard canisters.

Broccoli: I had to forget all about the 10 oz boxes of chopped broccoli that were a staple in my American kitchen. I buy the 800 gram bags from the freezer case and I learned to slice the florets into smaller pieces for quiches and soups. I tried kitchen shears but a sharp knife on mostly defrosted florets works best. I've seen the price range by brand from 13 NIS to 40 NIS for the same amount of frozen broccoli. Bodek brand is available here but it's the highest priced.

 
Brussel sprouts: Frozen only. Imported. Not widely available.

Buttermilk: Rivion is the closest substitute, but you can often substitute with gil or leben. Or use milk and a bit of lemon juice.

Chicken:  
·         It's often cheaper fresh than frozen.
·         If you buy frozen, check the date it was frozen.
·         Whole chickens cut in quarters or eighths are not sold here.
·         Buy a decent pair of chicken shears and learn to cut up whole chickens.
·         White meat is often cheaper than dark.
·         There is a difference between chicken wings for cholent and normal ones.

Cooking cream:
·         Called shemenet l'vishul.
·         Comes in 250 ml and 500 ml cardboard boxes like juice boxes.
·         Comes in 23%, 15%, and 10%. 
·         There is also a pareve version, though that's harder to find.
·         Half and half doesn't exist here. If you want coffee cream buy 10% cooking cream.


Cornmeal/Cornflour/Cornstarch - "Cornflor" can be either cornmeal (sometimes called kemach tiras and sold in the same section of the store as beans) or cornstarch (sold in the baking aisle).

Cheese:
·         Lots of people mentioned that it was scary to use to cheese counter but so worth it.
·         Sliced and grated cheese are significantly cheaper when purchased from the cheese counters.
·         The cheese counter is also likely to have types of cheese that you won't find in packages - like cheddar and feta.
·         If it's not crowded at the cheese counter or the cheese stand in Machane Yehudah (the shuk), you can ask to taste different cheeses.
·         You can ask at the cheese counter to slice your cheese thin.
·         Tnuva makes cheddar but it's very very mild. Ask for something "charif yoter" (sharper).
·         Many supermarket deli counters have pre-sliced packages of popular cheeses, such as Gilboa and Emek. This obviates the need to wait in line and is the same cheese that you have sliced to order at the counter. There are also pre-packaged grated cheeses, such as mozzarella and parmesan.
·         If you go to the cheese counter and ask for a mix you get shredded scraps of whatever's left over at the time.
·         Gvina levana (white cheese) is like soft cream cheese, with a little less tang.
·         Hermon is like a salty farmers cheese or a way less salty feta.
·         Baby belle cheeses in the red wrappers are not kosher in the US but are kosher here.
·         The cheese market in Machane Yehudah (the shuk) in Jerusalem has amazing white cheddar cheese from England that is OU.
·         Israel has lots of other cheeses that you can't get kosher in the US.
·         Tiv Tam cheese can most closely be described as pressed cottage cheese, but it's actually strained gvina levana. It is also used as a substitute for Philadelphia cream cheese in cheesecake. It comes in a block wrapped in plastic see through wrap. It spoils quickly so buy it close to use.

Cream Cheese:
·         Philadelphia is occasionally found here, but it's expensive.
·         Gvinat shamenet which is the cream cheese sold in the rectangular containers has a softer consistency. There is one in a black and white speckled tub that looks like a cow pattern and spreads like light cream cheese from the US.
·         The one most like whipped cream cheese here is Napoleon brand (gold & white container)  gvina shamenet b'signon Tzarfati and comes in cups in a few varieties. The one with the yellow daisy is plain.
·         Some people make their own cream cheese.  Take a cheese cloth and hang Israeli 5% cream cheese over night and in the morning you will get the cream cheese you are used to.
·         Another way to make your own cream cheese: add 1/8 teaspoon salt to shamenet and let it strain. You are left with whipped cream cheese.
·         Some use Israeli gvina levana instead of American-style cream cheese for cheesecake

Crembo: A marshmallow, cookie and chocolate confection that's ubiquitous in the winter and nowhere to be found in the summer. Comes in mocha and vanilla, in 8 and 40-packs.


Dairy products: Like milk in the US, many dairy products in Israel come in different fat percentages. This is true for sour cream, hard cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt and, of course, milk.

Deli:
·         Pastrama is not pastrami. It's turkey breast in different incarnations.
·         Try כתף בקר as an affordable beef cold cut.
·         Pastrama cafrit is close to American turkey bologna.

Eggs:
·         There are two dates stamped on eggs. The earlier one is the freshness date if the eggs are unrefrigerated.  The second is the freshness date when they are kept cold.
·         Egg shells are not, ahem... pristine here. Washing them introduces bacteria into the egg. They are, however, generally much fresher. You'll get used to it.

Egg noodles: Called itriot beitzim

Fish: A great chart by fellow oleh Marc Gottlieb on the different kinds of fish available in Israel.

Flour:
·         White, whole wheat and 70% whole wheat are widely available.
·         Flour is sold by the kilo to avoid infestation.
·         Pre sifted is very expensive. Consider buying an electric sifter.
·         I have found the texture of the flour somewhat different, requiring that I add a bit more flour to some recipes.

Grains: Grains should not be bought in a corner store, but rather in one with a large turnover. When buying grains in cellophane, lift up one corner and check for webs, an indication of infestation.

Hawaij:  a Yemenite spice blend to give soups soup/cholent/stew a rich flavor.

Herbs:  Some herbs, including parsley (petrozilia), dill (shamir) and celantro or coriander (cuzbara) are highly perishable.  Cut them up and put them in small plastic bags and freeze. Use as needed.

Hot dogs:  Israeli hot dogs are generally chicken. Beef hot dogs are harder to find. Chofetz Chaim (a Jerusalem butcher that might be worth getting to know) sells beef hot dogs that are the closest to tasting like an American hot dog and they cost the same as the Israeli beef hot dogs. Also try the Tirat Zvi brand beef naknik americai which come in a package of six.

Ketchup: Israeli ketchup is sweeter. Heinz is widely available. We buy cheap Israeli ketchup for cooking and Heinz for french fries and burgers.

Lasagna: Comes in boxes about half the height of a 1-pound box. Dry lasagna is completely flat (no ruffled edges) and is both wider and thinner than lasagna in the US.

Leben: The pink and orange Yotvata brand leben tastes just like yogurt, is one-third the price and has natural colors  from carrots and beets.

Lemon syrup: Try Prigat brand lemon syrup to make lemonade and sweetened iced tea.

Margarine: One stick of American margarine/butter is 100 grams (half an Israeli stick).
Blue Bond stick margarines are widely available and come in yellow wrapper (unsalted), blue (salted), red (butter flavored). Yellow is best for baking.



Meat:
·         Meat cuts in Israel take awhile to master. Here's Marc Gottlieb's great chart of the meatcuts you'll find in Israel.
·         You can get basar chamim (chulent meat) already cut into chunks.
·         Check that meat is kashered--sometimes it's sold without soaking/salting.
·         Ground meat is often mixed with soy.
·         Osher Ad and Rami Levy Mehadrin, both in Givat Shaul, have great selections of the OU Kashrut Israel line called "It's Fleisch" frozen meats with the names we are familiar with, such as brisket, corn beef, etc.

Milk:
·         Skim milk is hard to find.
·         Generally, you can find 1% (red) and 3% (blue). Whole milk is basically 3%. These are the opposite colors from the US.
·         Sometimes 1.5% is available.
·         Milk comes in liter cartons and plastic bags. The bags are 1 liter, which is basically 4 cups.
·         Milk in plastic bags is price-controlled and should cost the same anywhere. It is also cheaper in bags than in cartons.
·         There are clear produce bags near the tubs of milk bags. I have found that the produce bags begin to tear if you put more than 2-3 bags of milk in them.
·         Milk doesn't have vitamin D added unless you buy Yotvata or Tnuva brand 3% milks.

Milk drinks: are milk with water and other flavors added

Oats:  Plain oats are found next to the sugar free stuff, or granola bars, health food, but never with flours, cereals, or grains. Instant oats can be found in almost any supermarket, but the price is around twice that of in the Machane Yehuda shuk, where you can also buy coarse oats. This is called Qvaker (from Quaker Oats.) There is Qvaker Dak-instant oats and Qvaker Ave-the coarse oats. You can also find these at a health food store.

Onions: Yellow (though they are called batzal lavan) and sometimes red onions are available. Raw onions are very strong here and peeling them is a challenge. I have never seen Vadalia onions in Israel.

Paprika: Paprika is sold with and without oil and hot and sweet. Hot paprika is not a bad substitute for cayenne pepper.


Parsnip:  Occasionally available in winter in limited markets.

Pastry:
·         Sufganiyot in Israel are not the same as American style donuts.
·         Herby Dan, Mr. Donut and Brooklyn Bake Shop have American style donuts.
·         Brooklyn Bake Shop has awesome black & white cookies (and a black & white cake) as well.

Pastry Dough/Pie Crust
It is possible to find prepared graham cracker crusts in Israel. If you use them, stock up when you see them because they are hit or miss. Some stores that cater to American olim sell pareve Oronoque prepared pie crusts, but they are very expensive. A great alternative is the widely available puff pastry dough . Comes in a sweet variety (called batzaik sh'marim - metukim in the green wrapper below) and a plain (batzaik alim). There are several brands. I have never been able to distinguish a flavor difference, so I just buy whichever is cheapest. They go on sale often.



Pickles: come in brine or in vinegar. Brine is most familiar to Americans.

Potatoes:
·         Thin-skinned red and white potatoes are widely available. I hardly ever peel potatoes anymore.
·         If a grocery store sells potatoes in a mesh bag, it's perfectly acceptable to open the mesh and take only the size and quantity of potatoes you need.
·         I have seen fresh new potatoes (small) in the gourmet produce section. They are expensive.
·         Since canned potatoes are hard to find here, I just use sliced fresh potatoes in my brisket.
·         No russet/Idaho potatoes here.

Poultry: Marc Gottlieb's poultry chart.

Pizza sauce: יחין makes great lasagna and pizza sauce and they are very affordable. They come in tubs like the tomato paste.


Rubbing alcohol: comes in a tiny bottle and looks exactly like nail polish remover (acetone).

Salsa Rosa - a combination of sour cream and tomato sauce. Very common pasta sauce in restaurants.

Shamenet: Generally refers to sour cream (shamenet chamutza). But the word also refers to cooking cream (shamenet l'vishul), cream cheese (gvinat shamenet) and whipping cream (shamenet lhaktzafa which is 38%).

Silan:  Date syrup that makes a great substitute for honey or molasses.

Soup mix: Available in 1 Kg bags as well as the more familiar plastic tubs. Chicken soup mixes are available pareve and meat. Osem makes both without MSG. 


Sour cream:
·         Called shamenet.
·         Comes in 4-pack of small plastic tubs (200 ml each) or in 1/2 liter containers.
·         Sour cream is a perfect substitute for ricotta in baked pasta dishes such as lasagna.

Spices:
·         Spices are often located close to the meat counter and not the baking aisle
·         Here's Marc Gottlieb's chart of the names of spices in English, Hebrew and transliterated Hebrew:
·         Here's Jacob Richman's spice chart.

Strawberries: Strawberry season in Israel is winter.

Sugar: 
·         Sugar (white and brown) is a bit coarser than Americans are used to.
·         White sugar comes in paper or 1 Kg clear plastic tubs. A kilo in a paper bag is much cheaper so I buy in paper and refill the plastic tubs.
·         I reuse the tubs to store bread crumbs, rice and other grains.
·         Brown sugar comes in the same 1 Kg clear plastic tubs.
·         Both dark and light brown sugar are available.
·         Dark and light brown sugar can sometimes be found in large plastic bags.
·         Light brown sugar is called demerara sugar.
·         Confectioner's (icing) sugar (אבקת סוכר) comes in small packets. One packet is 3/4 c.


Sweet red pepper: Gamba

Swiss chard: the mehadrin packages of what is called alei selek is actually swiss chard.

Techina: buy plain techina paste, add water, lemon, olive oil, garlic and spices for techina. Add water and honey for halava spread.

Tomato paste:
·         Comes in cans and small red plastic tubs, generally two or four together.
·         There are codes on tomato paste that refer to the thickness of the paste.
·         Tomato paste concentration is measured in BX (pronounced 'bricks'). The higher numbers are more concentrated (less water).
·         Tomato paste is typically sold in 22⁰BX or 28⁰BX. 22⁰BX is less concentrated than 28⁰BX.
·         Some say 22⁰BX is tomato sauce.


Vanilla: Imitation vanilla is widely available. Real vanilla is very expensive. If you're a baker, you might want to import real vanilla or learn to make from vanilla bean and vodka.

Vanilla sugar: This is sugar made with vanilla beans or mixed with vanilla extract. Comes in small packets. One packet is a scant Tbs.

Vinegar: White vinegar here is synthetic. Natural vinegar here is light brown but tastes exactly like natural white vinegar from the states.

Yeast: Yeast comes in many different forms. Fresh yeast comes in 4 ounce cubes or in granulated form in packaged from the company Shmirit. Dry yeast is sold in the baking department, generally in 500 gram vacuum sealed foil packages.

MISCELLANEOUS TIPS

American products: Some stores in neighborhoods that cater to American immigrants carry a lot of imports that are not otherwise generally available.

Cartis Moadon: This is a store loyalty card. It's usually the first thing a cashier will ask you in any grocery store. "Cartis moadon?"

Cleaning the kumkum: If you use your kumkum (electric kettle) for a long time you will get calcium deposits inside.  Put in a few tablespoons of lemon salt (melah limon), boil the water and leave over night. In the morning, rinse it out and it will be all clean with no scrubbing.

Cooking from scratch: You will likely do much more cooking from scratch since many prepared/convenience foods are not available in Israel. It's often healthier, and definitely cheaper.

Grocery stores:
·         All grocery stores offer delivery service in Israel, but stores in charedi areas in cities will often automatically offer delivery, without you needing to ask.
·         Supersol (Shufersol) is a very good store brand and their products are worth trying.
·         It's a different culture. In Israel, people will leave a half-empty cart on line, holding their place, while they finish their shopping. This annoys some people.
·         You have to visit a fair number of stores to understand the lay of the land in terms of what is available. Many interesting items can be found in health food stores such as Eden Teva Market in Ramot.
·         Prices are not the same in every branch of a store chain.

Kitniyot at Pesach: Oy! This is a whole separate discussion. Suffice it to say if you don't eat kitniyot on Pesach, you're going to need to take a knowledgeable friend to the store with you when you shop for Pesach. And you're going to need to learn the words, lo chashash kitniyot which means there is no suspicion of kitniyot and you can buy it and l'ochlei kitniyot, which means it's kosher for Passover for those who eat kitniyot.
Stores in certain neighborhoods in Jerusalem, in Modi'in Illit and other cities that specifically cater to American and/or Ashkenazim will have more options than in most of Israel where the majority are kitniyot-eating Sefardim.

Learn metrics.

Make friends with your grocer. He can teach you tips about how things are used in Israel with which you are unfamiliar -- and you can get a Hebrew lesson in the bargain.

Packaging: Many more things are packaged in cellophane than in cardboard (e.g. bread crumbs, pasta, etc.)




Produce:
·         Eating seasonal is a new concept. You can't always get what you want when you want it. On the other hand, it's always a joy when new fruits come into season.
·         On Sunday evenings, the fruits and vegetables at the Jerusalem shuk are cheaper than usual.
·         The internet is a great resource for learning how to use ingredients with which you are not familiar (e.g. kohlrabi, dragon fruit, etc.).

Quantities:
·         Packages are generally much smaller in Israel. Perhaps that's due to the fact that people have less room to store things and there are no warehouse clubs here.
·         The one consistent exception is toilet paper which seems to come only in large quantities.
·         Certain common spices come in very large containers.
·         If you are buying something that sells in packages of 1 liter or 2 - check the price. People assume that per liter, the 1 liter will be more expensive. Amazingly enough - a lot of times, it is cheaper to buy two or three ONE liter bottles than to buy the two or three liter bottle.

Receipts: Look at your receipts after finishing grocery shopping. Sometimes you are entitled to free gifts that you can claim from the kupa rashit (service desk).

Sales:
·        Sale price signs on grocery store shelves generally list the last four numbers of the UPC code for the products that are actually included in the sale price. CHECK THE CODE. Do not assume the merchandise above/below the sign is actually connected to the sale.
·         Look at the sign. See if it says mogbal l' - restricted to x number of items- that means, you can buy only that number for the sale price; after that, it will be priced at full price.
·        When something is on sale "2 for..." or "3 for..." etc., you only get the discount if you buy that number of units.
·         1+2: This means, buy two, get one free, NOT, buy one, get two free as I once thought when buying pasta. Remember, Hebrew reads right to left :-)
Stores in Israel periodically run brand sales where everything from a particular brand is on sale - typically 20-25% off.

Translations: A GREAT tool in the grocery store is a smart phone and a translator app so you can translate words on packaging.

I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted now. Comments, corrections, clarifications are most welcome.

NOTE: If you have more questions about what's available in Israel, I highly recommend that you join the Facebook group called Israeli Foodies. The people in that group are super helpful about everything food-related in Israel.

48 comments:

Baltimore News Desk said...

Excellent! Is Vanilla sugar made in Israel?

Bracha said...

Wow! Kol hakavod on a very thorough job! I have just a few comments:

1. Red onions are available everywhere. Sometimes white (spanish?) ones as well.

2. My kids eat canned applesauce all the time and no one has ever mentioned finding pits or skin in it. Note that it comes both sweetened and no sugar added.

3. An envelope of baking powder is about 3 Tbsp.

4. Paprika is also available smoked (paprika meushenet) at spice stores. It adds a lot to many recipes.

5. There are 2 kinds of silan (date honey): pure, which has no added sugar, and with added sugar. You can tell by reading the ingredients. Also, the pure silan is much more expensive (like NIS 25 a jar vs. NIS 15 for the sweetened stuff).

6. For people who grind their own coffee or like to have it ground fresh: Eden in Ramot sells several kinds, including decaf, cheaper than anywhere else (NIS 10 for 100 gr., even for the decaf, which costs a fortune elsewhere).

Looking forward to volume 2 of Rivka's shopping hints!

Chava said...

A few additional thoughts:

Lemon salt may be more familiar to olim as citric acid.

Real vanilla, as well as the beans, are available at most Anise stores.

Coffee beans are available at the shuk as well.

When shopping the shuk, be VERY careful about hechshers -- sometimes the hechsher is actually a fake and meaningless. For kashrut updates that can be trusted try www.JerusalemKosherNews.com

That said, y'yasher kocheich, Rivkah! Awe-inspiring job!

Andrea said...

Chicken is definitely available cut up in as many pieces as you want. The people at meat counters in the supermarkets will cut up and trim meat and chicken however you would like.

Hadassa said...

Shalom!
1) The packets of baking powder are three teaspoons = one tablespoon. A professional in the food industry told me and I've also measured.
2) Vanilla sugar is sold in packets which look very similar and are the same size as baking powder packets. Be sure not to confuse them while shopping or baking. Stores tend to put them close together (grrr.) It's not so hard to find vanilla beans.
3) White bread is available and is called just that in Hebrew: לחם לבן, lechem levan. Lechem achid, לחם אחיד, is indeed much more popular. The only time I saw white bread at our local grocery store is when the bakeries were protesting not being allowed to raise the price of lechem achid even though the price of flour had risen. They didn't bake lechem achid until an agreement was reached with the government about prices. Lechem achid does not contain rye flour (kemach shifon). It is darker than white bread because the flour used is less refined than white flour.
4) I would not assume that all grocery stores deliver, and always ask if there's a fee. On-line shopping is available from some supermarkets and some grocery stores take phone/fax/internet orders.
5) I have also never found seeds or pits in apple sauce. I have used two brands; there may be another one that doesn't strain properly.
6) I always see pareve cooking and whipping cream in even small grocery stores. Be careful. It's packaged in packages exactly the same size and shape as real cream, although all are clearly labeled.
7) Irradiated milk (the kind one keeps on a shelf, not in the fridge)is available.
8) Cornmeal is kemach tiras, which could literally be translated as cornflour (kemach = flour, tiras = corn), but isn't. Cornstarch is amilan tiras (amilan = starch) and is also called cornflour, as stated in the blog.
9) Cayenne pepper is sold in Israel.
10) You're in Israel now. Your old eating, and therefore buying, habits may not be suited to the climate here.
11) Do not be shy about asking fellow shoppers for advice, but always consider it carefully before acting on it. In fact if you talk out loud to yourself, in Hebrew or English, you will almost automatically receive shopping tips. And perhaps recipes.
12) Have fun! Shopping will be an adventure for a while. It's your choice to make it pleasant or not.

Leah, Maaleh Adumim said...

first of all, great post, Rivkah! I am sure this will be useful to many!

regarding the metric system - it's actually pretty easy to deal with, since most of the time an approximation conversion is ok and those are easy. (e.g. if you want to buy a pound of something, then half a kilo should be close enough.) after a while you will get used to the new units. in the rare case that you need something exact (e.g. converting your own height and weight, or a temp from a fever thermometer) you can use a calculator or google. (e.g. put into google "5 ft 4 inches in cm" or "75 km in miles", etc. voila! you get the equivalent.)

so, a few approximations for shopping and other everyday usage:
a kilo is about 2 lb
100 g is about 4 oz
a liter and a quart are about the same
a km is about 2/3 of a mile (actually 5/8 is more accurate, but when estimating distances it's easier to multiply by 2/3 or by 1.5 than 5/8 and 1.6)
a cm is a little less than half an inch; to be more exact, 2.5 cm = 1 inch, so 10 cm = 4", 15 cm = 6", 30 cm = 1 ft
a meter is about a yard (39" to be exact)
for weather temps, it helps to get a thermometer or even a chart that shows both C and F till you get used to Celsius. but in general, 0C = 32F, 10C = 50F, 20C = 70 F, etc.

Batya said...

fantastic, send to KCC
and Bassar Shomron packages fresh chicken cut in 1/8

Marion said...

Though there are no Costco type places here, many suppliers are willing to sell to individuals, so it is possible to buy wholesale. Especially important to remember for things like baking supplies!

Bracha said...

I should have been more clear about buying coffee at Eden: they will grind it for you there, if you want.

Yehudit said...

I've never seen baking powder in packets of 3tbs, maybe, maybe, 3tsp (1tbs) is in the packet. But your next door neighbor bought it bulk and has 1/2 a kilo.

If you can find the right people, at the right time, you can also chip in on buying certain things in bulk. For example, I bought 5kg (11 pounds) of baking soda for around 25 NIS.

This was a great post! I've learned a lot, and I've been here eight years.

Marcy said...

I find that one envelope of baking powder is actually more like 1 teaspoon- NOt anywhere near a Tablespoon.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic post but it needs us translating for us Brits - what on earth is a 'scant' anything :) and I still have no idea what a 'cup' is after two years here I haven't mastered it :)

Bracha said...

To add to the baking powder discussion: I stand corrected - an envelope is 3 tsp, not Tbsp.

One more thing that wasn't mentioned: low lactose milk is sold as a long-life milk, in boxes on the shelf with the other long-life milks.

So much more fun to discuss food than politics :-)

mikimi said...

I enjoyed this post and wish back after my Aliyah but learning to be an adult I had had such readily available info at my fingertips.
I assume you live in Yerushalayim or near as you mention Macheneh Yehuda but there are many other places that will sell some of the items that are hard to find. I live in Tzfat and our small town is finally catching up to society at large although for my real enjoyment in shopping, and if I am out of town, I will go to an Eden Teva Market.
I have bought cornmeal here (without any problem) to cook mamaliga/polenta,cornbread. Now if you can find me hominy grits...and yes I have seen boxes of instant oatmeal packets but not my grits.

Danny Allman said...

Thank you for a huge amount of truly useful shopping information!

One item not mentioned was powdered milk. As far as I can tell, and despite the fact that it's actually manufactured in Israel by at least one company, it's apparently not available at the retail level at all.

I wanted to buy some to make a replacement for something else that's apparently not available anywhere here: canned condensed mushroom soup. Many recipes call for that ingredient, and I found a substitute recipe (two, actually) that call for evaporated milk as a major ingredient. Since evaporated milk is ridiculously expensive here, I discovered that you can make your own with powdered milk--except that it's unavailable!

To sum up: making your own condensed cream of mushroom soup needs evaporated milk, which can be substituted for by powdered milk, which seemingly can't be found anywhere.

However, I'm an inveterate optimist, and very tenacious when presented with this kind of challenge. I'll let you know how it turns out.

In case anyone is interested in the substitute for condensed mushroom soup, the link is http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/family-recipes/make-your-own-condensed-cream-of-mushroom-soup-in-less-than-5-minutes

Geoffrey Mendelson said...

In 15+ years I have never seen applesauce in a can with seeds and skins. It must be we get different brands.
Have you seen Apple Butter?
Choftez Hiam sells really good tasting meat products, but they are loaded with salt and other additives. (like American ones). They are also very high in fat. If you can eat them, they are an expensive, but well worth it treat.
What we call red onions are called purple onions here. That's why red onions are so hard to find.
Aurua Coffee in Modiin sells good coffee if you are in their local delivery area and arrange for it to be delivered the day after roasting.
A consistently decent tasting coffee is "Mocha No. 1" in the gold 1/2 kilo package. It always makes good (but not exceptional) coffee in a filter, french press or percolator. I keep an open bag in a sealed zip lock in the freezer.
Tayari Brothers in Jerusalem sells wholesale imported food. You can buy from them by the case, and sometimes for expensive items a split (part of) case. They have a website, but do not list prices on it.
The milk sold unrefrigerated is ultrapasturized, not irradiated. AFAIK, the only irradiated product still sold anywhere is bacon.
Angel uses all whole wheat flour, which is why their bread is dark. They have special machines to grind it to the point it looks like regular flour.

Shosh said...

As other comments mentioned, you can ask the butcher to cut up the chicken into 1/8ths, they just might charge a bit more.

You can also find two kinds of zucchini here - dark green (like in North America, harder to find), or light green, which I believe is closer to squash (much more common).

Something to note: when you buy a three pack or double pack of certain products, for example, aluminum foil, it is often more expensive than buying the singles. My husband stands in front of the "deals" with the calculator on his phone to try and figure out what is the least expensive, b/c often the multipacks AREN'T.

Great post!


SaraK said...

Great post, Rivkah!

Yocheved Golani said...

A comprehensive and valuable contribution to life in Israel Rivkah! TU for the improvement to our Quality of Life.

One thing to consider when you want to revisit the subject is the organic food industry in Israel. Information on that valuable resource is scarce. I'll be delighted to share as much information as possible with you. I only dine on organic food and know how to get it country-wide (and affordably).

Unknown said...

We just learned that chicken tenders are called עוף פילה.

And sometimes in the butcher you can get a very cheap package of chicken pieces, all the leftovers from them chopping up chickens for sale, called עוף למרק.
It is usually around 10 sheks a kilo and is great for flavoring soups.

Pizzamom said...

Many of the cheeses available at the cheese counter are considered 'hard cheeses' and require a longer waiting period before eating meat. I have heard that, due to our proximity to Europe, we get higher quality cheeses, that are not available in the US. Please consult your LOR. (or, bat aliya's dh)

Yehudit said...

I forgot one -- potato flakes, i.e., instant mashed potatoes. The ones in the side dishes aisle come in a box with a couple of foil packets, and it's at least 10-14 NIS/box.

But if you go to the baking supplies aisle, you can often find a bag of potato flakes -- 400g or 500g for around 8-10 NIS.

Francine in Karmiel said...

great list! I found o couple of other things. I love "Cream of Wheat." Here it is called "dissa" at supersol the English translates as Wheat semolina (1K). Another thing I found at Supersol is Maimon's brand of Self Raising Flour (in the USA it is called self rising). I have been using regular four with baking powder( cute little packets that you have told me is about 3T) but I have a hard time getting the portions right for biscuits, etc. Also there is a 50% off coupon at Supersol for the self raising flour (usually 8.87 NIS)
Maimon's also makes really good cake mixes. Hope I didn't repeat something I missed

Beau Pace said...

Never too late to send New Year wishes. Nice post.

Marcia said...

If you are looking for Cream of Mushroom soup you can find it at the American stores (like Super Deal)- they sell the ShopRite brand.

Rachel said...

Hi i'd like to ask you a question about your blogs can you tell me how i can contact you? i know i wrote this comment a few days ago somewhere on your blog but i cant remember where so i cant check if you replied..thanks

Rivkah Lambert Adler said...

You can reach me at rivkah30 at gmail dot com

Adina said...

It took me a while to find time to read this - awesome project! Some comments, in case anyone cares for even more info:
1. Confectioner's sugar - available in 1 kg (and sometimes even 3 kg) bags in the shuk (Machane Yehuda), usually in the spice/tea stores. Just ask some of them when you're walking around there.
2. Crembos - interesting background store. Strauss is one of the country's first/biggest ice cream makers. Because Israelis eat less ice cream in the winter (even less than in other countries), they were looking around for something to make in their factories in the winter. They got the crembo idea from Sweden; they make it only in the winter 'coz it would melt in the summer.
Israel is the 2nd largest crembo consumer in the world, after Sweden!
3. Bread crumbs - bec they *do* only come in those bags, I brought boxes of Jason bread crumbs from the States (one plain, one flavored) and simply use them as containers, refilling w/bread crumbs bought here. I do that w/the baking powder can from the US as well.

Eliana said...

Well done! Thank you so much for what was clearly a large time commitment. I love the grocery store adventures.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much!! I buy my chickens from Chabad and they are cut up in 4ths or 8ths. Also, I have seen Crembo all year round in Supersol. Yashar Koach!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for all the work and effort you went to, in making this information available. You are very kind. The information is extremely helpful. Good Job! Anthony.

Chana said...

Excellent job! I've lived here almost 30 years now (come the end of July), בלי עין הרע, so I had accumulated a lot of this information already, without knowing I had. My problem is that I no longer know how they do things in America.
We tried a lot of substitutes for dark corn syrup used in pecan pie, and found that silan, molasses, and honey fail to solidify. However, Israeli "maple syrup" is nearly 100% corn syrup and works just fine. Nowadays, light and dark Karo syrup are occasionally available, but more expensive.

International Groceries said...

Wow blog , great, i really like.

Cheri said...

Yocheved Golani, I would love information on how to get organic foods! I am new to life in Israel two + weeks. I live in Tverias, which seems to be the only city without a health food store. I would appreciate any info you or anyone else might have. Thanks!

Yocheved Golani said...

Cheri et al, see www.nourishingisrael.wordpress.com to learn of organic food resources in Israel. I buy locally, from the outdoor, weekly organic foods market at Kibbutz Tzora near Bet Shemesh, and from local organic food shops.

Unknown said...

You can buy powdered milk in a filipino store in haifa. Arlene store as they call it

Founder of CustomCrown said...

does anyone know where i can buy 5liter bottle of vinegar?
in general i want to know where to buy large sizes and buying more in bulk to save money .
thank you so much

Bat Aliyah said...

Buying in bulk is possible here: http://www.poliva.co.il/
There is an English option on the website.

Anonymous said...

You never talk about Israeli honey...it is only 30%honey and 70% sugar....

L. Kaye said...

Could someone tell me if I can, in Israel, easily (in a local shop rather than having to go to a supermarket) buy oat or almond milk for my toddler? Otherwise I dont know how we're going to transport from the UK many cartons of the stuff to last during our trip. I'm 99% sure Israel has a thriving non-dairy milk products market!

Rivkah Lambert Adler said...

Plant milk is widely available. There are lots of varieties (soy, rice, almond, etc.) with flavors and without. With sugar and without. I do t know if you'll find exactly what you need in the first store you go into but it shouldn't be necessary to bring.

Anonymous said...

Links seem to be dead, there may be an archived version of the pages or perhaps they are gone forever, either way great post. Also as of 2017 the large supermarkets in the big cities are generally cheaper than MY shuk but don't necessarily carry as wide a range of fresh food or specialty items

PreciousOils said...

Thank you so much for this information!!

Unknown said...

Where in Israel have you seen parsnips? (please not parsley root or 'white carrots')

Yakov Butterfield said...

Thank you so much for the post. I expanded it with more item.
Aliyah Grocery Shopping Tips http://jerusalemcats.com/aliyah-tips/aliyah-grocery-shopping-tips/

Anonymous said...

Thank you for tranating its a huge huge...huge help❤❤❤

Anonymous said...

Tiv Taams usually carry Karo corn syrup. I’ve seen both light and dark there. They also usually have molasses and Worcestershire Sauce!

Anonymous said...

Osher Ad often has 4 or 5 liter jugs of vinegar. We use it a lot for cleaning all kinds of things, so we frequently stock up and keep extras in the marsan.
Oh! Baking soda! We also use a lot of baking soda for cleaning and I’ve found that many of the stores in “Russian” neighborhoods carry it in 1kg plastic bags! Again, stock up when you find it!